Folia Malacol. 27(4): 293–306 https://doi.org/10.12657/folmal.027.026 TERRESTRIAL SNAILS IN FLOOD DEPOSITS OF THE BESKID MAŁY RANGE (CARPATHIANS, SOUTHERN POLAND) Witold PaWeł alexandroWicz Chair of General Geology and Geotourism, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environment Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Cracow, Poland (e-mail:
[email protected]); https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5403-6696 abstract: Long-term research on the malacofauna of the Beskid Mały, one of the ranges of the Western Beskidy Mts, was based on flood deposits of the streams cutting through the massif. Samples from limestone areas (called Andrychów Klippes) and those from the Żurawnica massif complemented the material. The total of ca. 400 samples yielded 78 species of terrestrial snails. The malacofauna was characterised in terms of its ecological and zoogeographical composition. The material provided the basis for determining the zones of occurrence and distribution of the component taxa within the Beskid Mały range. The ecological, zoogeographical and species diversity of the assemblages made it possible to distinguish four types of fauna, each connected with certain parts of the Beskid Mały range, which differ in their geological structure, relief and the degree of anthropogenic transformations. Key Words: terrestrial snails, biodiversity, Beskid Mały, Carpathians, southern Poland INTRODUCTION Research on the malacofauna of the Polish floodplains during high water levels. Their charac- Carpathians started in the late 19th century. Since then teristics depend on a number of factors, for exam- numerous papers on mollusc fauna inhabiting parts of ple the shape and course of the river or stream bed, this mountain range have been published (stobiecKi width, height and form of floodplain.